PM’s absence

On Friday (July 2), the military and intelligence chiefs gave the in-camera national security briefing to parliamentarians. This meeting, however, wasn’t attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Even though there are different interpretations by politicians and the media, the fact is that the PM’s absence was in bad taste. The issue of national security has nothing to do with the internal politics of various political parties, therefore the PM should have attended the meeting. There is no doubt that the PTI and the opposition are still at daggers drawn, and Imran Khan is not going to change his mind about the opposition. However, there is no weight in the argument that certain opposition members had reservations about the PM, therefore, to avoid any unpleasant situation, he chose not to attend the session. Also, as per the rules, it was not mandatory for the PM to attend the session on national security. Having said that, it would have been a good gesture on the part of the PM had he attended the meeting since the entire opposition was present in the assembly. The meeting was important as the discussion was focused on the present situation where the US is withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. The PM’s absence from this important meeting has sent a wrong signal that could have been avoided.

Mukhtar Ahmed

Karachi